Artist Bert Long, 67, works on a mural in his studio Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2007, in Houston. The mural his is calling Art/Life is slated to be installed at the Looscan Public Library when it is finished. ( Brett Coomer / Chronicle ) less

Artist Bert Long, 67, works on a mural in his studio Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2007, in Houston. The mural his is calling Art/Life is slated to be installed at the Looscan Public Library when it is finished. ( Brett ... more

Artist Bert Long, 67, works on a mural in his studio Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2007, in Houston. The mural his is calling Art/Life is slated to be installed at the Looscan Public Library when it is finished. ( Brett Coomer / Chronicle ) less

Artist Bert Long, 67, works on a mural in his studio Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2007, in Houston. The mural his is calling Art/Life is slated to be installed at the Looscan Public Library when it is finished. ( Brett ... more

Photo: Brett Coomer, Staff

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One of artist Bert Long Jr.'s goals in life was to leave the world a better place than he found it. "I'm a guy who sees the glass of water half-full. I always see the possibilities, what can be done," he said. He died Friday at the age of 72. less

One of artist Bert Long Jr.'s goals in life was to leave the world a better place than he found it. "I'm a guy who sees the glass of water half-full. I always see the possibilities, what can be done," he said. ... more

Photo: Brett Coomer, Staff

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Artist Bert Long poses with several blocks of ice that were part of his ice work of art titled "Thin Ice" Monday, April 25, 2005, in Houston. (Photo by Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle) HOUCHRON CAPTION (05/01/2005) SECZEST COLORFRONT: Artist Bert Long is trying to find a long-term home for his sculpture "Thin Ice." less

Artist Bert Long poses with several blocks of ice that were part of his ice work of art titled "Thin Ice" Monday, April 25, 2005, in Houston. (Photo by Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle) HOUCHRON CAPTION ... more

Photo: BRETT COOMER, STAFF

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Bert Long Jr.

Bert Long Jr.

Photo: Billy Smith II

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Remembering artist Bert Long Jr.

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Houstonians are mourning the death of Bert Long Jr., one of the city's most-loved and best-known artists.

He died of pancreatic cancer Friday at the age of 72 after a life marked by artistic highs and lows. In 1990, he won the esteemed Rome Prize, and he saw his work exhibited at museums here, around the country and in Europe. At times, however, his chosen profession left him so broke he couldn't pay his bills. At one point, he traded some paintings for a box of groceries.

Undaunted, Long persevered. He believed his job as an artist was to leave the world a better place than he found it, and he didn't let the obstacles that might have crippled others get in his way.

"Life is what keeps me going, what keeps me inspired," Long said a few years ago. "I'm a guy who sees the glass of water half-full. I always see the possibilities, what can be done."

And that is just how Long's family, friends and admirers remember him.

Bert Long III, Long's son, described a man who taught him to follow his passion, regardless of the consequences.

In the case of Long III, his passion was flying, and, at age 17, he and a friend managed to buy an airplane and fly it around the state.

"Very few parents would let their kids do that," Long III said. "My dad gave me the freedom to do whatever I wanted."

Sculptor James Surls, a close friend of the artist, said, "I just loved the guy. Bert's ideas were so big and grandiose, they were bigger than life. He wanted to do a million-pound ice sculpture in Las Vegas. He wanted an iceberg towed to Ireland so he could make a piece of ice sculpture out of it.

"Bert did ice sculpture in Oakland and made the front page," Surls said. "He did one in Providence, R.I., and made the front page. Everywhere he went he made big ice sculptures and made the front page. And when the sun set through his colored ice, it was just beautiful, like a big window in a cathedral."

Artist John Alexander, like Surls, met Long in the '70s, when Houston's art scene was still in its infancy.

"Because of the racist nature of the times, I know Bert struggled for acceptance in the art world," Alexander said. "But he persevered. For him to get shown, to get recognition early on, was next to impossible, but he finally did.

"Bert taught me and a lot of younger artists in Houston to stay focused and committed," Alexander said. "He never faltered, he never strayed. Also, his work is very expressive and highly personal. The fact that he dug so deep into his own soul, well, I learned from that. I was touched by his unbelievable creativity and the way he handled unbelievable hardship.

"He was a cheerleader for every one of us. He came to everybody's shows," Alexander says. "He was a visionary and a gentleman of the first order."

"He was a chef, an ice sculptor, he had an art publication for a few years. And he was a photographer, too. He used every form of self-expression he could," she said.

"He was gregarious, warm, friendly, overwhelming. Bigger than life in every way. And very funny, too."

Artist and old friend Jesse Lott reminisced: "I don't think Bert saw himself as an African-American artist. He more aligned himself with the other great artists of history, like Michelangelo, Raphael, Dali and Picasso. Whoever the greats were, he saw himself in that line."